The Koinonia, the gathering of the true saints of God, as depicted in the book of Acts, was one of the most glorious periods in the history of the early church. Meeting together was not obligatory, but filled with the anticipation of intimate fellowship. No wonder saint Paul urged God’s people to not forsake the gathering together of believers. There is something very powerful about sitting face to face and eye to eye with our Christian brothers and sisters. Our Heavenly father delights in the richness of our spiritual communion and Jesus said that where two or three joined together agreeing on anything in prayer, Father would be delighted to give it.

We often hear about lone rangers who prefer to live solitary lives perhaps because of having been hurt or betrayed in a past relationship. I tell them to expect that when crisis calls, you will need the help of others.

Fellow shipping with the saints, (Koinonia from the Greek), is the environment where we can sharpen our love walks. In the midst of many personalities will be found opportunities to hone ourselves in the fruits of the spirit. As iron sharpens iron, so sharpen we each other. In the presence of many personalities we will find reasons for the number one fruit of the spirit to be in action.

There are not enough pastors who expound the necessity and richness of abiding in true Christian Koinonia. to their flock. Rewards abound regarding the growth process and seeing each others lives unfolds as the petals of a flower! Growing together and nurturing each other makes for powerful marriages, families and communities. There will always be hurt, rejection or misunderstandings when relating to others, but if we continue to be open and take risks emotionally, God will connect us with people who love and accept us unconditionally. All of us should aspire to fine tune our love walks. If the fruits of the spirit are not evident in our lives, something is wrong.

My unconventional outlook on life as artist-musician-journalist bursting with spontaneity and vision had caused misunderstanding and miscommunication with a few friends who misunderstood my motive and heart. These broken relationship hurt deeply but Father God has been gracious in helping me develop a forgiving spirit. I learned the importance of addressing my grief and disappointment and then moving on.No matter what good intentions we have, we will always have to deal with rejection or misunderstanding. We have to learn from our mistakes and move on. God has blessed me with a small circle of people who love me unconditionally, even if they do not understand where I’m coming from. Treat all relationships with tenderness and respect. We can learn from everyone, no matter what their background or age, and even little children can teach us amazing, deep things!

God always wants us to walk in forgiveness and understanding. Somewhere down the line, regardless of our best intentions, we too will hurt or disappoint our friends and loved ones.

The law of love is one the most important aspects of living in Christ and yet love sometimes can be the least important thing on our agenda. We live in such a fast-paced world that we depend on the convenience of technology to fill the gap of emptiness. It has instead numbed our need for human fellowship. We lose the ability to be sensitive, thoughtful and heaven-minded! Love must always reign in our hearts and motives and everyone, from the newbie babe in Christ to the oldest, mature bishop needs that one on one Koinonia.

One asked Jesus, “When did we feed you, give you water, clothe you or visit you in prison?” mat 25:37&38 Jesus answered that if we did it to the least, we have done it unto Him. Thus, we are required to fill a need when we are suddenly presented with it.

God loves when we serve and give alms. Mat 19:@. The church is in a weak place today because of a lack of unity and a sincere desire to be in fellowship with each other. Only by intimate connection with each other can we learn to cherish and nourish each other, not only with the material but also with the spiritual bread. Paul tells us in Eph.5:1 to live our lives as a fragrant offering.

When you are with another brother or sister, are they blessed and nourished by your presence or do you repel them? Do we try to live peaceably with others or are we always debating or scrutinizing the small stuff, (grey areas of living our lives) ? Rom. 14:13 ? God has called us be humble and not to think of ourselves higher than others or to despise others who are weak or young in their faith. The fruit of love is patient kind, long-suffering

We can find all we need to know about love in 1 Corin.14. It doesn’t matter how many languages we are fluent in, how amazingly we prophesy or sing like an angel, if we love not we are nothing.
When Koinonia is operating, there is a spilling over, an overflow of love. Koinonia first begins when we humbly sit at the feet of our Abba Father. Sometimes, sitting at Father’s feet, first thing after I wake up, my spirit soars acknowledging how much He loves me! I count my blessings and sing praises to Him. You can’t help but be full of love and that loves flows out of yo as you rub elbows with those around you.

The killers of Koinonia are spirits of religion, gossip, envy, strife, bitterness and debate. We must carefully guard our hearts and our relationships so that God’s love can flourish. Blessed are the peacemakers for they are the children of God! Let us be wary of any spirit that divides and causes suspicion, so Father can bless our endeavors and soul-winning! Beware of suspicion, criticism or harshness. A thoughtful pause before a soft answers heals a multitude of otherwise negative consequences. Correct with a spirit of meekness. when we are rebuke, we should mete grace to ourselves. How often we take a correction or rebuke very harshly and condemn ourselves.

Koinonia also rejoices in all the supernatural gifts of the Spirit and is not fearful or offended by those who speak in other tongues or express themselves in the prophetic. Paul himself said, “I would like for every one of you to speak in tongues” 1 Cor 14:5

In these violent, self-centered and arrogant times, we more than ever need the power of the supernatural Holy Ghost. Only that dynamite power can change and overcome the all-compassing evil of our enemy. It’s to the church’s and the world advantage that every child of God be so divinely equipped!

Kononia is truly one of the most glorious gift Father God endowed us with. When the Bride is walking in true love, they are walking in true unity and power. When laughter, joy, thankfulness and compassion flow, there is healing and victory!
Ask Father to connect you with vibrant believers today!